The Category 2 storm churning in the Gulf of Mexico has sustained winds of nearly 105 mph. The National Hurricane Center says it made landfall about 7 p.m. PDT Wednesday at Soto La Marina along the coast.

The storm is far from the gulf oil spill, but cleanup vessels were sidelined by the hurricane's ripple effects. Six-foot waves churned up by the hurricane splattered beaches in Louisiana, Alabama and Florida with oil and tar balls.

Alex, the first Atlantic hurricane of the season,flooded roads and forced thousands of people to evacuate fishing villages.